the chief wrote:Still talking out of your cloaca.
Christianity, first of all, still maintains a close association with the books of what is referred to as "The Old Testament", which are loaded to the tits with all manner of individuals performing deeds which challenge rational explanation, as part of their duties as His earthly representatives.
Likewise, disciples of Jesus regularly provided what he referred to as "signs and wonders" (John 4:48), as an essential part of their ministry, and earthly recipients of "grace", for lack of a better term, continued to do so for centuries to follow.
The characterisation of the policy as "hypocrisy" is about 7 or 8 kinds of dunderheaded.
Pretty much down to the last, any and all of these circumventions of natural laws take place with the primary purpose of illustrating a direct connection between the executor and G_d. In most cases, a secondary effect is some form of benevolence or delivery from suffering.
There are no instances of G_d suspending the limitations of time and space to allow a blessed individual to win the big 649 Jackpot or get lucky with the hot girl from Geography class.
Consequently, on the (rarer than most assume) occasions when The Church has recognised the deployment of paranormal efforts by those not divinely sanctioned to do so, in all cases with the express purpose of personal enrichment or empowerment, it has chosen to condemn such efforts.
in other words, if it's done by God or some person/being/entity sanctioned by/empowered by same, it's a miracle, and is the centerpeice of the religion. If any one else does it, it's magic, heresy, demonic, etc, and worthy of persecution. By definition.
Right, I'm outta here.
Carry on regardless.
